Aware.
Conscious.
Riley could feel her body standing, but she couldn’t move. She found herself in a void. She couldn’t speak, or scream, or run. She couldn’t even look down to make sure her body truly existed as she could feel it.
Eventually, a dim light began to appear in the sky, illuminating her surroundings with a blue hue. Thanks to the light that she now recognized as the moon, Riley could finally see where she was. A lake, perfectly circular as far as she could tell, surrounded by thick pine trees. It took her a second to realize that she wasn’t just standing next to a lake, but rather on the surface of the lake itself. Riley could feel the cold water on the soles of her feet. It felt oddly refreshing and eerily familiar. Ripples began to appear, cascading across the water, emanating out from the center of the lake. A figure appeared from below the surface, slowly rising until what looked like the form of a human fully emerged.
Riley looked on, trying to identify who it could possibly be. She could make out the silhouette of a woman in long a dark dress, facing away from her and up towards the moon. Her hair was a beautiful gray, shimmering in the moonlight with a sort of opalescent quality, formed in a long braid falling down her back. The woman tilted her head downward, no longer looking at the moon. The woman began to turn towards Riley. As the woman turned, Riley suddenly noticed blood streaming down the woman’s face, bleeding tears from glowing red, bloodshot eyes. The moon began to turn a crimson hue as the woman’s face came into full view. Her face was mesmerizing but covered in scars. The woman grinned, exposing sharp fangs and bloodstained teeth, and began to stare at Riley.
Riley was terrified. She was still unable to move no matter the effort she exerted. She could only stand and wait for whatever conclusion may come. The strong sound of a heartbeat began to echo across the lake and through the woods. It was loud, but consistent. There was no hint of fear in its beating, though Riley still thought for sure that it must be hers. Finally, the woman spoke. “My heart, in your hand”
***
Riley jolted awake, covered in sweat, confused, scared, but her heartbeat was calm. She sat for a second to collect her thoughts. Clearly what she had just experienced was a dream, or a nightmare, but it felt so real. It was such a vivid experience that she could remember the tiniest details on the woman’s face. The slant of her nose, the curve of her smile, the coloration of her scars; it was all lodged in her brain like a bullet. The thing that stuck with Riley the most though was the red. The moon, the woman’s eyes, her teeth, the red was everywhere. It was all Riley could see. It seeped into the crevasses of her mind. Who was that woman? Where was that lake? Why did it feel as if she had seen it all before. She was still shaken from the experience, but she couldn’t stay in bed all day trying to decipher what her dream could mean. She had to go to work.The mind-numbing mundanity of Riley’s desk job was generally nothing but a detriment to her and her mental state, but today it was a boon. It allowed her mind to wander while filling out pointless paperwork and sending out stupid emails. It allowed her to keep thinking about the mysterious woman. Her memories didn’t fade throughout the day as they would with any normal dream, if anything they only grew stronger, and her feeling that she had seen this all before intensified. The fear she had felt in connection with the dream subsided soon after waking up, giving way to a sense of pure fascination, and perhaps even infatuation.
Riley’s workday ended unfortunately late, with her still not being able to place the woman’s face. It upset her to feel so out of control of her own memories. To feel so strongly that she had met someone before only to have any notion of their existence dashed from her head. She left her office, trying to simply put the thought out of her mind. She was fed up and believed there was no point in spending so much time on a mystery she would never solve. It was easier said than done, however.
As she walked to the train station, she kept seeing reminders of her dream everywhere. Puddles on the ground appearing as if pieces of the lake she had stood on, cracks in the buildings she passed shaped like the scars on the woman’s face, and most prevalent, the moon. Still rising in the distance, it was perfectly framed in the center of the street she was walking down. Unlike the bright full moon of her dream, the real moon was currently waxing. A thin, silver crescent shape in the sky. But even so, all she could see when looking at it was the full blood red moon. It’s as if she was being haunted. As she continued walking down the street, Riley began to feel strange, uncomfortable, unnerved. She felt as though she was being watched. The heartbeat Riley had heard in her dream started to fade into her conscious perception, growing louder and louder all around her, synchronized perfectly with her own. She began frantically darting her head around for who or what may be watching her. She knew it was irrational, but the sensation of eyes piercing her body wouldn’t leave her no matter how hard she tried to suppress it, and the stronger heartbeat she continued to hear only served to further add to her paranoia. She stared down every alleyway she passed with a frightening focus, looking for anything out of place, but only the darkness and shadows that had enveloped them stared back. Even with the loud beating of what now she could only assume was her own heart, Riley could still hear small sounds all around her. The wind passing through rustling the leaves, the creaking of pipes in the alleys, she could even hear the bugs scuttling through the sewers in the grates below her. Her peripheral vision and sense of smell also seemed to have elevated themselves somehow. She could see her own ears now, something she didn’t even know was possible, and could smell everything with a much greater intensity, which wasn’t exactly a benefit walking by alleys lined with garbage-filled dumpsters. She had become hyper aware of anything and everything around her, and whether it was simply a result of the adrenaline flowing through her body or something else she had no idea.
Finally, Riley was almost to the train station, almost home. Only a block away, she walked hurriedly towards her goal. Along the last stretch, she passed by a nearly empty parking lot, surrounded on all sides but the front by towering buildings. While walking by, she spotted out of the corner of her eye, someone standing directly in the center of the lot . They almost completely blended in with the shadowy space, save for the burning ash from a lit cigarette they were smoking. Riley tried to ignore them and just continued her walk home, but she was suddenly met with a strong shout coming from behind her.
“Hey!” the man yelled in a low coarse tone.
Before Riley even turned, she could hear the man’s footsteps walking closer to her. Riley was frozen, only able to turn her head towards the man now only about ten or so feet away.
“What’s your name?” he asked with a much calmer and kinder voice than before but still demanding in tone.
“Uh, Riley. Why?” she asked, her voice shaking slightly as she tried to conceal her panic.
“Oh, ok. Sorry, a bit hard for me to see with how dark it gets this time of night. Probably not a problem for you though. Just wanted to make sure.” The man, still covered partially by shadow, took one final drag from his cigarette before dropping it and snuffing if out with his foot.
For a moment, both Riley and the strange man just stood there. She couldn’t see the top half of his body well due to him standing, seemingly intentionally, directly in the path of a shadow. But she could see his bottom half well enough. He was wearing pitch black pants that seemed to be a bit baggy around his legs and cuffed at the bottom. His shoes, also black, looked like some sort of athletic shoe, but a bit different than your average sneaker, looking almost custom made for the shape of this man’s feet. Finally, the man began to advance. Taking careful steps forward, he seemed almost cautious of Riley.
Riley, finally gathering the will to move, started to back up just as carefully. “What… what do you want?” she mustered through her nervous stutter. The man did not reply. Instead, he lunged towards her. Riley jumped back quickly, landing in the small park across the street. She was shocked. The action was almost automatic, as if she wasn’t in control of her own body. She had created a distance between them, and now that the man was out of the shadows and more easily visible, she could finally see his face, and more importantly, the fact that he was brandishing a sword.
Riley’s panic and dread were momentarily put on the backburner and replaced with a strong feeling of confusion. Why the hell does this random guy have a sword? Why would he be attacking her of all people? This isn’t just some normal mugging. That’s all she could think about for a few seconds, but her train of thought was cut short by another quick advance. The man closed the distance between them faster than her mind could react to, but her body moved on its own once again, only this time she didn’t jump back. She ducked as his slashing sword passed above her and countered with a quick punch to his stomach. It hurt her hand like hell. She had never actually punched someone full force like that, never had a reason to, but it strangely felt like an all-too-common movement for her at that moment.
The man became momentarily stunned by the punch, staggering backwards a few steps. Head down, one hand on his stomach and the other still holding his sword at the ready. Riley stood there, also stunned by what she had just done, looking down at her fist with a puzzled expression. Had her punch really been that strong? She wasn’t exactly the healthiest person when it came to keeping any consistent schedule for working out, and she rarely did anything that would strengthen her arms. Suddenly the man bolted towards her once more. The reaction to her punch must’ve been a fake out, tricking her into letting her guard down. Unfortunately, this time, her body couldn’t react fast enough. And the man plunged his sword directly into her stomach.
Everything went black. Riley couldn’t feel anything; she had gone completely numb. She was unsure whether she had died or simply passed out, but whatever had happened had left her completely devoid of feeling. Suddenly she could see in front of her as her eyes began to open. But it didn’t feel like looking through her own eyes, more like watching something on a TV screen. She was looking down at her stomach with the blade of the sword still lodged inside. Blood steadily flowed out and on to the ground, seeping into the dirt, and staining the grass a shimmering red. Looking up, she saw the man’s face. He had a thick, well-kempt beard, but even with it, he couldn’t hide the large smile underneath. He was clearly satisfied with himself for the trick he had used, enjoying every second of the proceeding gore.
At that moment Riley realized her vision was beginning to change. Everything in view became tinted a deep blood red. Her heartbeat also grew louder once again, loud enough that she could see the man’s seemingly stunned reaction to it. Her body began to move on its own again, except this time she couldn’t really feel anything. She was aware of where her body was and how it was moving, but it wasn’t the same as the normal sensation she would have moving her body. It felt much more external to herself, like she was being possessed.
Riley’s hand reached down, strongly grabbing hold of blade still stuck in her stomach. As her hands gripped harder to the blade, attempting to pull it out of herself while fighting against the man trying to push it back in, she could see that her palms and fingers had started to bleed due to the sharp edges of the sword. At that moment, Riley was glad she couldn’t sense pain. The man continued to struggle against her body as she gradually pulled out more and more of what now seemed like an infinitely long blade. Her eyes moved up and met the man’s. He was clearly beginning to become distressed, losing confidence, and realizing that he may not win this fight. Just as the tip of the sword left her wound, the man desperately tried one last time to push it back in. Riley’s grip held strong, not allowing any further movement. Suddenly, in a burst of strength and speed she didn’t even know was possible, Riley’s arm flung the sword, ripping it from the man’s hands, and lodging it in a tree at the edge of a small tree line further down the park.The man looked worried and annoyed, but not surprised, as if he’d seen things like this happen before and even expected them to happen here. He jumped back quickly and stood in a fighting stance, watching for any movement or sign of hostility from Riley’s body, but all she seemed to be doing was staring at him, a cold stoney glare. After a few seconds of this standoff, the man made a run for his sword, sprinting as fast as he could. Riley’s body did not move her feet an inch, however, her eyes continued to track his position, even in the dark. As the man continued to run, Riley’s body raised her right arm in front of her. Riley was perplexed watching this. Why would her body not move to stop the man before he was able to reclaim his weapon and attack again?
Without warning, Riley’s hand suddenly came flying back at her, piercing into her chest. Unlike before, Riley could now feel the sensation of pain coursing through her. She could feel her own hand on her heart, grabbing hold and starting to pull. Her heartbeat intensified further. She now could not only hear it but physically feel her heart convulsing in the palm of her hand, still inside her chest. Her hand began to pull harder against it, trying to rip her heart out of her body. Riley felt an indescribable pain mixed with a powerful sense of terror emanating in waves from her chest. She felt her flesh tear and her blood spill, and then suddenly nothing. The pain halted, and the terror subsided. As Riley gained back her strength, she realized her heart had disappeared. In front of her now, sitting in her hand, was a strange looking sword.
The blade of the sword, now resting in her grip, was a deep black that appeared to pull in all light around it like a black hole, drawing in her focus as well as the light. All along it was what appeared to be engravings that resembled veins, branching and even pulsing with red light the entire length of the blade. The hilt of the sword followed much of the same design, with the handle being wrapped in an alternating cloth of red and black. The guard was shaped like a backwards S, going out straight for about half an inch then curving towards the bottom of the hilt or the tip of the blade on its belly and backside respectively. The shape of the blade was familiar to her, reminding her of something she had seen hanging on the wall at her grandparents’ house as a kid. It was about two or so feet long, with an inch or two of height between its belly and its back. The curve of the sword was prominent. Both the belly and back curved parallel to each other until the end where a flat diagonal edge connected them. This created a fine point at the tip of the blade. One last thing about the sword caught Riley’s eye. The hilt had what looked like a small fleshy orb in the center where it connected to the blade. The orb would pulse every few seconds, and the veins on the blade along with it. Even stranger however, Riley herself could feel every pulse as well. What she was holding in her hand was truly not just a sword, but her heart.
While Riley’s mind was occupied analyzing the sword, trying to imagine how any of this could be possible, her body was still alert. Her eyes tracked the man through the darkness as he ran towards his sword still stuck in the tree. Once he had retrieved the sword, the man disappeared into the surrounding foliage and shrubbery.
Riley’s body began to make its way over to the edge of the tree line, eyes darting in every direction as to be certain she would not be caught off guard. A loud rustling in the trees drew her attention. Another trick. Both her mind and her body knew that he was once again baiting her. At that moment, the man jumped out from behind a tree, moving with as much speed as he could muster, preparing to swing his sword with all his strength. Riley’s feet stayed planted, not moving an inch. Her right hand began to raise, and just as the man began to swing his sword, she swung her own, seemingly ten times faster, slashing across his entire body. The man’s body fell to the ground at Riley’s feet. Face down, laying still, blood began to pool around him, creating a large puddle, soaking Riley’s shoes.
Riley’s eyes stared down at the body with contempt. She kneeled to get closer look at her work, grabbing the scalp of the man and lifting him up to more easily see his front side. The moment Riley saw the damage that was done she felt the overwhelming urge to vomit, but she was still trapped in her own mind, unable to act on this impulse. The man’s face was horrifying, not just because of the damage, but also because of the lifelessness in his expression.
Riley had never seen anything like it before. His cheek was cut open, exposing the inside of his mouth almost completely. The path of the blade’s damage continued downward to the man’s chest, where his ribcage had been exposed through the deep cut. His stomach was also cut towards its side with some of his organs peeking out, entangled with each other as they slid out further with every slight movement made easier by the slick blood still pouring out.
As Riley’s eyes continued to examine the corpse, she suddenly realized the man’s hands were gone from his body. She looked down at the still pooling blood on the ground and saw them clear as day, cleaved from the man’s arms, still gripping his sword.
Riley wanted so badly to scream or run or throw up or do it all at the same time. But her body wouldn’t let her. She was forced to stare an unbroken gaze upon a dead man that she was responsible for killing.
Finally, her hand dropped the body, splashing as it landed in the pool of blood below, further staining Riley’s clothes. She raised her right hand once more, pointing the sword now towards her own chest. Slowly she pushed the sword back through the wound she had created. It wasn’t as painful as when she had first pulled it out, but it was certainly just as frightening. Her chest fully enveloped the sword, and her heart began to beat properly again.
It was calming in a way, to have her heart back in its proper place. Despite all the horror that had just occurred, feeling her heartbeat in her chest normally again was reassuring to Riley. Her body relaxed, but only for a moment.
Suddenly, the hair on the back of her neck rose and she felt goosebumps all over her body. Her eyes darted back towards the tall buildings across the street, and she began to scan the rooftops, but she had no idea what for. Finally, her eyes fell upon her target. She was in disbelief.
Standing above her, looking down from a perch atop the towering skyline, was a woman. A beautiful woman with a long gray braid and scars adorning her face, staring down at her intently with blood red eyes. Riley began to feel weak, both mentally and physically, the events of the night finally catching up to her. She fell to the ground, unconscious.
